Puzzle.



.110. 859,392. PATENTBD JULY.9. 190 7. M. s.'LEW1N.

PUZZLE.'

APPLICATION IfILED HOV. 7. 1906.

Il, d

@www

Sitemap MAURICE S. LEWIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUZZLE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Application filed November 7, 1906. Serial No. 342,408.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE S. LEwrN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphiavand State 'of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in puzzles or game apparatus of that character in which a series of runways are provided for a plurality of rolling devices such as marbles or balls, the runways being so arranged as to produce a maze or a series of blind passages of tortuous' or deviating form, the purpose being to manipulate the game board or apparatus so as to cause the main or rolling devices to roll through the passages that are designed to receive them from the starting pointI to the home compartment, and the object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will cause considerable interest and amusement and be of such moderate difficulty of solving as to add zest to the use thereof.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of Aconstruction of the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a prespective View of my improved puz- .zle or game board; and` Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

My improved device comprises a box 0r board7 provided with a base l preferably of thin Wood or veneer and inclosing sides 2 which may be of pasteboard or the like and which are adapted to receive a suitable top or lid (not shown). Within the box thus formed, a series of runways is produced, the same being provided by means of vertical partitions or strips which may also be of paste-board, and which are so arranged as to provide deviating passages of different sizes. In the present instance, the strips to produce these passages include right angle strips 3 arranged at each corner of the box and a plurality of intermediate strips, which I shall now describe, commencing at the point where the marbles or balls are first placed for practicing the game or puzzle. These balls are preferably of different sizes as shown, the larger balls being designated 4 and the smaller 5, and in the present instance two large balls are shown and four smaller ones.

Gommencing at the point A, it will be seen that I have provided two parallel and vertically disposed strips 6 that are spaced apart from each other and from the adjacent walls of the right angular strips 3 so as to form three runways designated 7, 7, and 7b, respectively. The strips 6 are of such length that they terminate at one end a distance from the adjacent wall 2 of the box and at their vother ends they terminate at some distance from a centrally disposed disk 8 secured to the base 1.

At right angles to the strips 6 are similar strips 9 arranged in two pairs, the members of which are parallel and in alinement with each other, a pair of these strips 9 being located on each side of the disk 8. Between the ends of the strips 9 and the adjacent sides or Walls of the box, are short-strips l0 spaced from and disposed at right angles to the strips 9 and also spaced from the adjacent walls of the box. Across the disk 8 from the strips 6, are strips ll which are in alinement with the strips G and are spaced at one end from the disk, but are joined at their opposite ends to the outer ends of the adjacent right angle strips 3 by means of diverging strips l2.

One of the features of my invention resides in the arrangement by which the larger balls 4 are prevented from passing through certain of the spaces formed by several of the strips and are compelled to travel along certain tortuous passages in order to roll from the point A to the far and opposite point B, which is between the diverging strips l2 and is the "home, the game being won or played and the puzzle solved when all the balls or marbles 4 and 5 are rolled from the point A to the point B. For the purpose of causing the larger balls to travel along certain definite lines, the strips 6 are spaced from the disk 8 a distance less than the diameter of the larger balls, the diagonally opposite strips 9 of the two pairs at right angles to the strips 6 are spaced from the disk 8 a distance less than the diameter of the larger balls, while the opposite ends of said strips are spaced from the strips l0 a distance sufficient to pass the larger balls, While'all of the spaces at the end s of the several strips are large enough to pass the smaller balls.

It will therefore be seen, from the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawing7 that considerable amusement and interest will be created by my improved game board or puzzle, it being the object to cause the balls to roll from the point A to the point B by merely tilting the board and without a direct contact with the marbles by ones ngers, and it will be found that by contracting some of the runways, as above described, the game will have the feature of diiculty added to it in its solution, while at the same time, it is not so difficult of solution as to render the device objectionable.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A game apparatus, consisting of a box provided with a plurality of runways and a centrally disposed disk from which said runways diverge, the runways being devious and some of them beim:r contracted or of less width at some points than others, and a series of rolling objects of two different diameters adapted to roll around said runways by the tilting of said box, the rolling balls of larger diameter being incapable of passage through the contracted portions of some of the runways, While the other balls are of such a diameter as to pass freely through all the runways.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, the herein described game board consisting of a box provided at its corners with right angle strips and between said right angle strips with other strips, and with a centrally disposed disk, the other strips being spaced from each other and from the right angle strips and also from the Walls of the box and terminating at their ends at different distances from the said centrally disposed disk, strips 10 interposed between sundry of said other strips and the adjacent walls of the box, and strips 11 and 12, the latter of which connect the strips 11 with sundry of the right angle strips, so as to provide a home point, and a plurality of balls or marbles arranged in two sets of different diameters, sundry of said strips being spaced, from the strips 10 and from the central disk, a distance less than the diameter of the larger balls, but greater than the diameter o t' the smaller balls, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MAURICE s. LEWIN. [nfs] Witnesses:

CHAs. H. KLINE, WARREN B. BLAKE. 

